Rubber heel.



E. LHOOPER.

RUBBER HEEL. APPLICATION FILED JULY 21.19l5- Patnted Aug. 7,1917.

UNITED STATES rnrENT OFFICE.

EDWARD J. HOOPER, OF STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RUBBER HEEL.

Application filed July 21, 1915.

2 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ehwano J. Hoornu,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Stoughton, Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rubber Heels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to a certain new and useful improvement in rubber or cushion heels for boots, shoes, and the like, the objects principally of my present invention being to provide a heel of the kind and for the purpose stated of simple and inexpensivc form and. construction, which may be readily, conveniently, and quickly, operatively attached firml and securely upon the Shoe or the like, w ich, when operatively applied and fixed upon the shoe-heel, will neatly register at its edges therewith, and which is capable of approximately maximum wear without its fastening means becoming exposed, and to improve generally upon and simplify the construction of heels of the kind described.

"With the above and other objects in view, my present invention resides in certain novel features of form, arrangement, construction, and combination of parts, all as will hereinafter be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, a

Figure l is a plan view, showing the under face or surface, of a rubber or cushion heel embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is. a sectional view through the same taken approximately on the line 22, Fig. 1, the sumo being shown in finished form in connection with, and prior to its removal from the producing mold;

. tool or Fig. ,3 is a sectional view through a slightly modified form of heel embodying my invention taken through the heel on a ine such as approximately line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

ig. 4 is heel on approximately the line H, ig. 1; Fi .'5 is an inverted plan view of the heelastening member. or plate forming an integral part of .my new heel;

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the spankergplate which-I prefer to em- Specificatlon of Letters Patent.

member 1 as to extend or a sectional view throu h the Patented Aug. 7, 191 '7. Serial No. 41,151.

ploy in connection with my new heel when fastening or attaching the same manually upon a shoe Or the like; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view illustrating the fastening of my new heel upon a shoe through the use or employment of a machine-operated spanker-plate.

Referring to the said drawing, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, my new heel comprises or includes a body-member 1 formed or made of rubber or other analogous resilient or cushioning material and which may be of various sizes and outlines, as desired, to neatly fit and correspond with the sizes and outlines, respectively, of the particular shoe-heels or the like to which my new heels are adapted to be fixedly attached. This body-member 1, which is of any suitable thiekncssto provide a comfortable elastic or resilient cushion, is preferably, for purposes hereinafter appearing, and as illustrated particularly in Fig. 4 normally, that is to say, as manufacture and prior to attachment of the heel upon a shoe or the like, coucaved at its upper surface, as at a, and correspondingly convcxed at its under ,or -tr'ead surface,-as at a.

Embedded flatwise and approximately centrally within body-member 1 and formingsubstantially an integral part 'of the heel, a relatively small flat metallic plate 2, laterally projecting integrally from one side of which through the upper portion. of body-member 1 is a plurality of pointed members or nails 3. These na ls 3, which, as illustrated in Fig. 5, are preferably in a series around plate 2 adjacent its edge or margin, thickness of the upper portion of body'- protrude at their pointed or shoeen aging portions suitably beyond the plane of the upper face or sur- {ace of body-member 1, as clearly seen in ig. 4.

Provided in body-member 1 on its opposite or tread. portion and preferably coincident or in alinement, respectively, with nails 3 of plate 2, are countersunk approximately cylindrical openings or recesses 4 of suitable depth adapted to receive either lugs 5 of a manually operable heel-attach ing or s'panker-plate 6, illustrated in Fig.

are of such length relatively to the the pegs on soft or plastic rubbe:v

- plate 2 is thoroughly plurality of suitably the confines ofintcrmediate member C, has

a raised upper face or surface convexed at its margin, as at I), to form the, as it m1ght be described, depressed upper surface of body-member 1 with its normally concaved marginal. portion a, top member D being correspondingly provided with a, as it also might be described, recessed under face or surface concaved at its margin, as at (l, to form the tread surface of bodymembcr 1 With' its normally convexed marginal portion; a:. Base member B is further provided on its upper surface or face with apositioued or arranged upstanding prO ections or lugs 7 adapted to properly support plate 2 flatwise approximately centrally in the mold, projections or lugs 7 being reduced at their upper ends to provide shouldered portions 8 adapted to loosely lit in and engage with small perforations 9 in plate 2 to hold plate 2 in proper position in the mold during the process of manufacture of the heel. Countersunk in base Bofthe mold is a plurality of approximately cylindrical. recesses- 10 of suitable depth-adapted to accommodate the projecting or protruding portions of nails 3 of plate 2. Projecting downwardly from the under face of-mold top member I) is a plurality of lugs or the like 11 adapted to form said cylindrical recesses 4 of body-member 1.

Plate 2 being positioned described Within the mold, the proper Weight or amount of rubber or other analogous material in a soft or plastic condition or state, as will be understood, 'is suitably placed in the mold around plate 2, and the mold then closed for vulcanization or other rubber hardening process. As shown in Fig. 5, plate 2 is alsoprovidcd transversely with a plurality of openings 12, through which penetrates the or other material when. poured or placed in the mold, whereby and firmly centrally anchored, duringthe vulcanization or other rubber hardening process, in bodyunen'ibcr 1, with its integral nails 3 protruding from body-mcmbcr 1 as described. The mold being subjected to SllllvFllJlG pressure and vulcamzation or other rubber hardening recess being now had, the heel, when remove from scribed.

The heel. so formed and having the characteristics or features stated is now ready to be attached or fixed upon a shoe or the like,

the mold, has the form and construction de- 'most conveniently fixed which may be easily and conveniently accomplished through the use oremployment of the hand spankei plate 6 .or the machine spanker-plate 6, the pegs or projections 5 or 5 of the same, respectively, being adapted to neatly fit said recesses 4 of body-member 1. A heel of proper size and outline being placed upon a shoe and either of said spanker-plates being engaged, as described,

with the heel, on. suitable pressure, a blow, or the like being applied to and upon the spanker-plate, the force thereof will be transmitted or imparted approximately'directly to and upon plate 2 and its integral nails 3 consequently driven 'into the shoehcel. In such operation, body-member 1 Will be flattened against the under side of the shoe-hecl and its edge or marginal portion caused to neatly register with the outline of the shoe-heel, body-men1ber 1 losing its described normal shape or form. This flattenin xin of the heel will to a certain extent place bo y-member 1 under tension, that is to say, bodyuncmber 1 will have a constant tendency, under its inherent elasticity or resiliency, to return to or regain its described normal form or shape, and bodymcmber 1 at and throughout its edge or marginal portion Will accordingly tightly hug or press approximately flatwise against the under side of'the shoe-heel. Thus the heel, though free from nails or the like and hence substantially unattached at its marginal portion from the shoe-heel, will be held by nails 3 and its own inherent elasticity or resiliency firmly and securely in close flat contact throughout its area with the shoe-heel. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 4 that bodyanember 1 is preferably of slightly greater thickness at its edge or marginal portion to increase the wearing properties of the heel, the Wear upon a shoe-heel being usually greatest at its rear marginal edge.

My new heel may be cheaply and economically mai'iufactured, and from the foregoin it will beseen that, due to the peculiar and novel construction of my new heel and the arrangement and position of plate 2 and its nails 3 relatively to body-member 1, the heel may not only be quickly,

upon the shoe-heel, but also is capable of approximately maximum Wear without plate 2 becoming exposed.

The modified form of my new heel shown in Fig. 3 differs from the thereof hereinbefore describe merely in that the marginal portion of body-member 1", instead of having the normal curved or concavo cony'exed form shown in Rig. 4, is more easily, securely, and J 1 20 preferred form sharply or obliquely disposed to the central part of the heel; and it is to be understood that other changes in the form, construction, arran gemcnt, and combination of the several parts of my new heel may be mad; and submt is:

stituted for those herein shown and de scribed without departing from the nature and principle ofmy invention.

Having'thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 1. The cushion heel for boots, shoes, and

the likeherein described, the same includ-' its said thicker marginal portion only being concaved on its attaching-face and convexed on its tread-face.

2. Aheel construction comprising an elastic body having a flat central base portion provided with a heel engaging side and a tread surface, said side fastening said body upon the heel of a shoe.

3. A heel construction comprising an elastic body having a flat central base portion provided with a heel engaging side andU-a tread surface, said side and surface lying in parallel planes, an integral bevel portion of gradually increasing thickness projecting from and extending entirely around said base portion, the marginal edge of said heel engaging side lying in a single plane, and means for fastening said body upon the heel of a shoe.

Intestimony whereof, I have signed my I name to this specification.

EDWARD J. HO'OPER. 

